Danish consul helps mark Rosh Hashanah at Plymouth temple

Tuesday

PLYMOUTH -- April 9, 1940, is etched into the minds of Honorary Danish Consul Jacob Friis and 92-year-old Jorgi Thorne.

Friis heard the story from his father.

Thorne lived it.

That was the day the Nazis marched into Denmark, in violation of the German-Danish Treaty of nonaggression, and began an occupation that would last until the war’s end.

For several years, tensions were high, but business continued as usual for the most part. It wasn’t until 1943 that the clash between the Danish resistance and the Nazis intensified, and German diplomat Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz leaked news that Hitler would be deporting Danish Jews for internment at concentration camps.

The response was swift, and Thorne, who was 21 at the time, remembers it vividly.

Danish resistance enlisted the aid of citizens who hid Jews in their homes, hospitals and churches as Danish fishermen coordinated an effort to transport them to safety. Thorne said the fishermen had to work under cover of darkness at times and with great care not to draw attention to themselves as Jews were secretly loaded onto the boats, which took them to safety in neutral Sweden.

In addition to the 7,200 Jewish passengers whose lives were saved aboard these vessels, the fishermen who risked their lives to save them also transported 680 non-Jewish family members, also targeted by the Nazis. Some fishermen charged a fee; most didn’t and lost a day’s wages in the effort.

This rescue effort is especially significant because it took place around Rosh Hashanah.

It is estimated that Denmark was home, at the time, to approximately 8,000 Jews.

The effort revealed Denmark as the only occupied country to resist the Nazis’ attempts to deport its Jewish citizens. While other isolated efforts in Europe, such as in Poland and France, successfully saved thousands of Jews, this Danish rescue was particularly significant it was nationwide. Thorne said countless fishing boats were involved in transporting the Jews, most of whom lived in Copenhagen.

Friis visited Congregation Beth Jacob on Sunday, the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, to honor this chapter of history and to reiterate Denmark’s continued dedication to equality and fairness for all, regardless of religion or creed. Congregation Beth Jacob Rabbi Lawrence Silverman expressed his gratitude for Friis’ visit and the message he brought.

Thorne spent the first two decades of her life in Copenhagen where she grew up. She married an American and now lives in America’s Hometown. She said her native country never made distinctions based upon people’s religious beliefs or other criteria. Thorne said she went to school with several Jewish girls and there was always a sense of solidarity to the country regardless of one’s beliefs or ethnic background.

“We were all just Danish,” she added. “Jewish, Christian – it didn’t make a difference.”

She laughed, however, that some Christians like her were a little jealous of the Jewish families because of the wonderful food they cooked.

Friis spent his first 27 years in Copenhagen. He studied engineering and worked in that industry in Denmark before completing his master's degree at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

This year marked his 27th year in Boston. He said he was honored to receive the invitation to address Congregation Beth Jacob and share the importance of celebrating diversity and demanding justice in the face of opposition.

State Sen. Vinny deMacedo, R-Plymouth, Rep. Mathew Muratore and clergy from area churches attended the event and expressed their support for gratitude for the Jewish community and Denmark’s courage and determination to stand up for its people during a brutal chapter in world history.

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